


Symbiont

by TheSkyandtheSun



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 08:24:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20112094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkyandtheSun/pseuds/TheSkyandtheSun
Summary: Moon has defeated Aether president Lusamine and became Island Champion. But her work is not done. There are still Ultra Beasts on the Alola Islands. Who knows just what they are up to...





	Symbiont

Moon pondered the mysterious card on her desk. She had found it by the Battle Tree earlier today. The card, a simple piece of cream-colored paper, was addressed to her personally. Moon Kumiko, Champion of Kanto and Alola. “Please come to the Pele’alola Inn on Route 2 tonight. You may bring your Pokemon but no other people. I am aware of your mission and would like to assist you. -A friend”

Well, that’s not suspicious at all. She considered bringing Hau, her long-time rival. He always had her back and was so perpetually cheerful she often wondered if he was human. Who would be aware of my new objective and so secretive as to send anonymous letters? It could just be a prank. Either way, I’m probably not in any actual danger if I accept.

That settled, Moon lay back on her bed and jammed to the Dugtrio Brothers’ newest album.

The sun seemed extra slow to sink below the horizon. Moon waited, feet twitching, until the low light dyed the sands a telltale pink. She straightened her hair, grabbed her Pokéballs, and ran out the door. 

“Where are you going?” Her mother called from the kitchen.

“Hiking!” Moon answered. Technically, that was true. Route 2 was a bit of a hike from home. If any place on this island could be considered far.

Her mother just chuckled. “Don’t let the Marshadow get you!”

Moon groaned. “That joke’s getting really old, Mom!”

“Like me?” She knew her mother was rolling her eyes. Never mind that, Moon thought. Off to a new adventure! 

The clerk at the Inn didn’t seem the least bit surprised to see her. “You’ll be in Room 23.” He walked her up the creaking steps to a solid oak door and handed its ornate black key to her. “Room service is Line 1. Enjoy your stay.” 

Once he had vanished down the stairs, Moon stood in front of the cryptic door awkwardly. Anyone could be behind it. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice.

“Moon?” Hearing her name made her jump slightly.

“Yes, that’s me!” she squeaked. “Who’re you?” 

Feet scuffled across the carpet. The door creaked open on its hinges. She found herself confronting a tall man with a thick mustache in somewhat shabby tourist clothing. The only thing remotely familiar about him were his eyes. They reminded her of... 

Moon blinked. “Looker?”

Looker smiled. “Yes, it's me. You have a good eye.”

Moon felt her shoulders relax. “Good grief, Looker! You had me nervous for a while! Secret meetings at night? You know how cliché bad guy that sounds?”

The Interpol officer squinted at her. “It’s standard procedure for undercover operatives.”

“Last I checked, I’m not a member of Interpol,” Moon shot back. “I’m also not in the habit of lying to my mother about where I head off to at night.”

Looker winced. “Yes, I’m sorry about that. But you have to admit, she probably wouldn’t allow you to get up to any more trouble even if you have Kahuna Hala’s blessing. In fact, I know you haven’t told her yet.”

“Urgh!” Moon’s fists balled up. “Stop spying on me!”

“You’re the champion of two regions,” he said calmly. “There are a lot of people with their eyes on you, some of whom would be a danger to your life if you ever fell into their clutches.”

Moon sat at the little round desk in the hotel room. Bringing her head to her hands, she sighed. “This is not what I had in mind when I was crowned champion.”

“Fame isn’t all TV contracts and autographs,” Looker agreed.

“Nobody’s ever asked for autographs or offered a TV deal,” Moon said. 

“But there are no shortages of dangerous missions, eh? We have that in common,” Looker came over to her. “I’ll make it brief: No one knows how many Ultra Beasts are still in Alola. That’s why the Kahunas have asked Interpol for assistance. Now, we’re inter-regional police, not inter-dimensional police. We don’t have a procedure for capturing and returning strange animals to their homes through wormholes. What we can do, however, is provide resources, training, and information to the Kahunas’ agents.”

Moon shot out of her chair. “Wow! I get to train with you?” 

“Actually,” said a new voice. “You’ll be training with me.”

The voice emanated from Looker’s shirt pocket. He pulled out a small silver device and pressed it. A tiny hologram of a lilac-haired woman materialized. 

“You may call me Anabel,” she said. “Glad to finally meet you. I’ve been following your progress on the news for some time.”

“Nice to meet you too!” Moon loved encountering fans. 

“We have a training facility also on Route 2. It’s that run-down building that used to be a department store. Interpol has developed new methods of tracking and subduing Ultra Beasts. We want to teach you and a few other trainers these methods. Is that something you’d be interested in?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Moon answered. “Who are these other trainers?”

Anabel smiled. “You’ll find out. Training begins at 9 A.M. tomorrow. Bring your Pokémon, some comfortable clothes, and a go-getter attitude.”

“Okay!” Moon punched the air above her.

Anabel’s hologram faded and Looker put his communicator away. “Well, my job here is done,” he said. “I will be meeting with you every month, so hold onto that key.”

“Every month? How long is this going to take?”

Looker raised an eyebrow. “We estimate there are at least thirty Ultra Beasts still at large. How many have you seen recently?”

Moon deflated a little. “Right. They’re getting better at hiding.” 

“With your help, we’ll be field-testing this new equipment. Hopefully, it will prove effective. Ultra Beasts are so rare that we’ve had little to work with.” 

“I won’t let you down, Looker.” 

And with that, they shook hands, and Moon went home for the night.

Morning found the Champion sleepless with anticipation. She was already dressed in sweatpants and a sports bra when the first rays touched the mountains. Breakfast was fragrant bacon and eggs. She grabbed her backpack as if she were going to class as always.

“Bye, Mom!” she called on her way out.

“Have a good day!” Came the reply from the patio. 

I wonder how they’ll deal with me being in school. Moon wondered as she charged to Route 2.

“Hey, this isn’t the way to school!” Her Rotom Dex fluttered out of her backpack. Its eyes narrowed. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!” she replied cheerfully.

“If you ditch school, I’ll tell your mom.”

“If you keep threatening me, I’ll get a new Pokédex.”

Sullenly, Rotom Dex returned to her pack. “This had better be worth it.”

The old department store was as dilapidated from the outside as Moon remembered. Upon entering through the side, though, she found the wood interior had been swept clean. Several impressively large black computers took up the far wall. Their screens flashed with data too quickly for her to read. Exercise machines occupied the left side and mysterious boxes took up the right side. In front, with their backs to her, were three other trainers. She knew them all.

“Hey!” Hau turned and clapped her shoulder. “You made it!”

“Good to see you, too,” she said. “But what are they doing here?”

‘They’ referred to Guzma and one of his lackeys. They seemed to almost be different people without the Team Skull logos on their clothing. Guzma looked almost normal in a plain white T-shirt and khakis. Except for her nose piercings, his green-haired lackey could have been any girl on the streets. She stuck her tongue out at Moon. “And why shouldn’t we be here?”

“Probably because I saw you all being arrested after confronting the Aether Foundation president,” Moon replied.

Guzma frowned. “Listen to what Boss Guzma has to say: we want to make amends. We know what we did was wrong and we’d rather make it right than rot in jail.”

“See, they’re not so bad!” Hau leaned on the lackey. Her face twisted to suggest she was either going to smack him or puke.

Moon smirked. It’d take more than two sentences to convince her to trust crooks. Even incompetent crooks. She was about to retort when the sound of clicking heels drew their attention.

Anabel, smartly dressed in a three-piece purple suit, emerged from behind the computer monitors. “Good morning, recruits.”

“Morning!” Moon and Hau said. 

Guzma and the lackey just grunted.

“Your training begins with your minds and bodies,” Anabel said, going to stand in front of them. She gestured towards the exercise machines. “Starting today, you’ll begin each session with half an hour of warm-ups. Then two hours of physical. Lunch is at noon. From then until two, you will work individually on mental challenges. Finally, you will work in teams to familiarize yourself with the new Ultra Beast equipment. Training ends at six.”

“Six at night?” Hau exclaimed. “What about school?”

Anabel smiled. “We have notetakers in class as we speak. They will make sure you don’t fall behind in your studies.”

Moon noticed Guzma’s lackey turned bright red. Does this loser even study? She wondered. 

To Moon’s surprise, she didn’t need her Pokémon until the last three hours of training. Rather than having them wait in their Pokéballs for hours, she told her team to practice with the other Pokémon. Everyone trained hard and by the end of the day, all four trainers were dripping sweat.

“I love a good workout!” Hau said.

“That was intense,” Moon took a seat on a stretching mat.

Guzma sneered. “Yo, you’re a couple of suckers. It wasn’t that bad. Right?” He directed that at his lackey, who was sprawled on the floor. “Susie,” he grumbled. “You’re making us look bad.”

“Got a spare back and legs? I want to trade.” Susie growled.

“Good work,” Anabel ignored the spectacle. She handed each trainer a cell phone. “We’ll contact you when we spot opportunities to catch Ultra Beasts. See you tomorrow.”

Moon walked home alone. Her Rotom Dex fluttered out of her backpack. “I’m beat,” it groaned.

“You actually fought today?” she asked.

“Well, obviously,” it rolled its eyes. “Can’t feel flat out from just sitting on your butt strategizing.” 

“Sorry,” Moon said. “It’s just that I've never seen you fight before.”

“Not a fan of being a regular at the Pokémon Center,” her Rotom Dex said. “Getting all these prima donnas to work together is hard enough.”

“How’d the team do?” Moon asked. “They seemed okay working with Hau’s Pokémon.”

“Yeah,” Rotom Dex agreed. “The problem is they can barely stand each other. One-on-one battles are what they trained for. They don’t like sharing a stage. Ursaring’s attitude is the worst by far.” 

“I’ll work with him more next time,” Moon said. “He’s not mean. He just likes to do his own thing.”

Rotom Dex muttered something. Then, it gripped her shoulder. “We’re being followed.”

Moon stopped. “By who or what?” 

“Don’t know. Keep walking.”

She complied. Rotom Dex few in widening circles overhead. Satisfied, it settled on her head. “It’s gone.”

“Just in case, I’ll give it a little demonstration of how fast Kantoans can run.” Calling up knowledge honed in middle school track team, Moon powered through the rest of the way home. A thought occurred to her as she rounded the last bend. “This is silly. It’s probably an Interpol agent making sure we don’t spill the beans. Or a wild Pokémon.” 

“I don’t think so. I sensed something distinctly unfriendly about our watcher,” Rotom Dex murmured. 

They said no more that night. The familiar sight of home washed the anxiety from trainer and Pokémon alike. Moon found a PDF of class notes waiting on her laptop and studied until the moon rose. 

A loud clanging startled Moon out of bed. Trapped in her sheets, she couldn’t avoid landing painfully on her elbow. It took Rotom Dex several seconds to untangle her. During which time, the call went to voice message.

“Lookout Point, ASAP,” was all it said.

Moon dressed and peered out the window. “It’s still dark. What excuse could I possibly have for being out this early?”

“Leave this to me,” Rotom Dex said. “I’ll catch up.”

Nodding, Moon grabbed her Museplayer and hopped out the window. What she really wanted was espresso, but the message said ASAP. Music would have to do. “I’m charging towards my destiny. Spriiiinterrrrrr!”

When she took her third wrong turn, she decided she really needed that espresso.

Lookout Point was off Route 3, some twenty meters above a secluded, crescent-shaped beach. No one played on that beach due to the dangerous rip tides capable of dragging even a Lapras over the bones of an ancient reef. In summer, toxic red algae blooms turned it into a stinking stretch of water. Moon had never been to Lookout Point, but the ever-helpful signs made it easy to find. There was even a trash can to toss her empty coffee cup in. As expected, there was no one there except herself and three others. The trainers exchanged terse greetings and began looking around.

“Yo, does anyone else find it weird we were sent here without reporting to headquarters first?” Guzma asked. 

“Boss is right,” Susie said. “We don’t have our gear or anything.”

“I’ll call Anabel,” Hau said.

Before his fingers could even touch his phone, a blur darted from the trees and sent him flying over the cliff edge!

“HAU!” Moon screamed. Her hand instantly went to her belt. “Go, Arrow!”

Her Decidueye emerged in a flash of red. “Help Hau!” she pointed frantically toward the cliff. It squawked before dropping into a steep dive. She knew there was no way he could carry Hau back up, but at least the Pokémon could stop him from hitting bottom. She trusted Arrow. 

“Ahhh!” Susie’s scream jerked her attention from the cliff back towards the trees. 

A massive Nihilego held Susie and Guzma in its tentacles. Its opalescent body shimmered like a mirage. Moon gaped. It’s over ten feet tall! She thought. Almost three times larger than the size Anabel had specified for its species. Guzma and Susie couldn’t hope to break free without help from their Pokémon. With an eerie synchronicity, the Nihilego pulled off Guzma and Susie’s belts. A quick flick of its tentacles sent them hurtling, Pokéballs and all, far into the forest. Moon felt her heart sink. So much for that idea. It’s up to me.  
She found herself unable to move. The sight of the towering creature paralyzed her. Most chilling of all were its insides. They were completely visible. Moon could see its alien hearts pulsing with clear blood, its five lungs inflating and deflating like balloons, and its stomach… The stomach churned repulsively with the last remnants of its meals: whole bones. Moon could make out small skulls, probably from Rattatas. Longer bones in the organ suggested it went after larger prey as well. Bile rose in her throat. Her mind almost froze as she saw it lift Guzma to its gaping maw.

“Everyone, come out!” she threw her Pokéballs. 

Ursaring went straight for the Ultra Beast. Roaring, it charged forward like a tank. “Venusaur, Sceptile! Back Ursaring up!” she ordered. 

Her bulkiest Pokémon flanked the Ultra Beast. Sceptile launched herself into the air. She tumbled gracefully until she had almost reached Guzma and Susie. 

The Nihilego pivoted suddenly, throwing Susie at Ursaring while releasing Guzma. The bear Pokémon was unable to stop moving quickly enough. He tripped over his own claws trying to avoid Susie and crashed into Venusaur. Sceptile landed in a palm tree, Guzma safely in her paws. She glanced over at her dizzy team mates and chuckled.

“Urgh,” Moon could see what Rotom Dex meant now. With Arrow occupied rescuing Hau, that left two Pokémon. She recalled Venasaur, who reeled from the impact. Ursaring was flat on his back, but the determined look on his snout told Lyndsey he would be ready to try again soon. She sent out Starmie and Espeon. “Like our League sweep!” she told them.

The Pokemon obeyed, readying powerful waterjet and psychic attacks.

This is perfect! Moon thought. Nihilego is weak to both water and psychic! 

The Ultra Beast shuddered. Its repulsive flesh vibrated like a swarm of angry bees. Instead of counterattacking, it flattened its body out like a pancake. A slimy pancake oozing across the grass faster than Arrow could fly. Espeon yelped, redirecting psychic to lift her off the ground. Starmie’s momentum carried it too far to the left. It spun like a top in order to correct course and KO its target. But it was just a tad too slow. 

Moon’s Pokémon and the ex-Team Skull members could only watch in horror as multicolored tendrils enveloped Moon. Trainer and Ultra Beast tumbled over the edge. 

They found her at the bottom of the cliff, facedown in a tide pool. To their immediate relief, she was obviously alive. Her head was well above the water and her chest heaved laboriously.  
Moon’s blood-soaked hair splayed out like a morbid vulpix’s tail onto the smooth basalt stones. Livid marks covered her swollen arms and legs. 

Guzma and Susie looked around for any trace of the Ultra Beast while Hau called the island’s nearest doctor. “We need to get her out of here fast!” he turned to the other two. “Ah... Susie!  
Maybe your Dragonair can fly her to the doctor!”

Susie’s lips quirked. “You sure she can hold on? My Dragonair can’t carry more than one person.”

Guzma leaned over to Moon’s trembling form. “Yo, Champ. Did you get the Ultra Beast?”

Slowly, her hand traveled under her waist. Fingers shaking, Moon raised a Beast Ball. 

“All right,” Gumza managed a crooked smile. “Not bad.” He hefted her up. “She’s awake.”

Susie nodded. “Go, Dragonair!”

They decided it would be safer if the graceful serpent held onto Moon’s belt than hope she didn’t lose her grip on its back. With a snap of its tail, the Dragonair was off. 

“Great,” Susie muttered. “Now we gotta go all the way back up.”

“Don’t wanna complain, but I got pretty banged up even with Arrow’s help,” Hau laughed nervously.

“Come on, man. We’re not carrying you,” Guzma said.

Dr. Kameha knew to expect a patient. The Champion herself! He shuffled his papers, grinning. Here was a chance to show his skill to Melemele’s brightest. And perhaps get a good review, too. He turned pale when a Dragonair arrived with a half-dead girl. Her arms and legs were so purpled with bruises he couldn’t even be sure of her skin tone. Poni Island’s hospital would be a better place for her, he knew. But it wasn’t worth the risk to try to move her again.

So, he sucked in his breath and, while she was still conscious, gently conducted an examination to determine the extent of her injuries. Her cries of pain suggested she had several broken ribs and fractures in her limbs. A quick x-ray confirmed his worst fears. “Hairline,” he told the nurse on duty. “Floating ribs are cracked. Patient has a three-inch long scar on her forehead. Eyes swollen shut. Concussion.”

The doorbell pinged. Dr. Kameha peered through the shutters at a panicked thirtyish woman. “Nurse, I believe I can take it from here.”

Nodding, the nurse went to the front desk. The doctor could hear her talking to the woman, who was no doubt the champion’s mother. News traveled fast on a small island. It was never pleasant to have to give relatives bad news. Though Dr. Kameha was certain he could keep Moon Kumiko alive, he was equally sure that she would be on a long, difficult road to recovery for the next few months.

Which is why his own heart nearly stopped when her life monitor suddenly flatlined. He rapped the wall urgently. A moment later, the nurse reappeared. “Get Pichu,” he told her.

She nodded and returned shortly with the electric Pokémon. At his direction, Pichu sent shocks into Lyndsey’s chest multiple times. The three held their breaths until the steady hum of the life monitor resumed a slow beeping. He read the output.

Brain waves: 55%  
Heart rate: 50%  
Breathing: 53%  
Healing capacity: 80% 

Dr. Kameha let out a sigh. “You can tell Mrs. Kumiko her daughter is in a resting coma. She should be out of it in a week or two. I’m going to call Poni Island Hospital.”

While the nurse did that, he phoned the trauma recovery specialist for advice on what to do next. 

Hau arrived at the doctor’s office an hour later with Arrow and Rotom Dex. His injuries were minor enough that the first aid kit Mrs. Kumiko had with her was enough to staunch the bleeding. He found it adorable that she had brought Moon more medical assistance. “Thanks so much!”

“I can do this, at least,” Moon’s mother wiped her brow. Worry returned to her soft features. “What happened? Moon’s note said she was going to meet with you to work on a school project?”

Hau’s stomach tightened. He hated lying. But if Moon hadn’t told the truth, the last thing he should do right now is give Mrs. Kumiko more reason to worry. “Yeah,” he stuttered. “We were supposed to do a report on crepuscular Pokémon. We were at Lookout Point when an Ultra Beast attacked. It knocked me over the cliff edge before her. I would have been toast without Arrow.” 

The Decidueye looked up, hearing his name. 

“Actually, all of them were amazing!” Hau said. “I didn’t see the battle, but I heard it. Fierce fighting if I ever knew it!”

Moon’s mother smiled thinly. “Yes, my little champ works so hard to make sure they’re strong. I wish she were as diligent about her own safety. Couldn’t she have just read some library books for this project?”

Hau felt as if his stomach had sunk to the floor. “I’m really sorry, Mrs. Kumiko.”

His cell phone rang.

“Excuse me.” He stepped outside.

“Yo, yo. Bad news,” Guzma said.

“Worse than Moon’s condition?” Hau began to tremble. The older boy sounded terrified. 

“I’m at headquarters,” Guzma continued. “This place is a wreck. Susie found Anabel, or what’s left of her.”

Hau dropped the phone. It took three tries for him to get enough of a grip to raise it back to his ear. “What happened?”

“Don’t know exactly. Something or someone trashed the place. There’s acid everywhere. The wormhole-generating equipment is still working, so we can send the Ultra Beast back. I’m tempted to chuck that thing through still in its ball.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Hau said. He wiped sweat out of his eyes. “Um, what should we do now?”

“Looker will figure out something’s wrong soon since Anabel can’t report in. This will be the first place he’ll check. We’ll wait for him.” 

“I need to tell Gramps what happened,” Hau said. The Kahuna had been proud that Interpol thought Hau was good enough to take on this special mission. He might change his mind, Hau realized with dismay. I’m not doing so well ‘walking the walk’ after ‘talking the talk’ about handling danger. He shook the negative thought away. If Guzma and Susie can wait at the scene of a murder, I can avoid going to pieces outside the doctor’s office. I’ll report to Gramps, then head back to wait for Looker. I need to be strong for Moon. A thought occurred to him. “Hey, Guzma?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re pretty good at this hero stuff.”

For a while, there was no answer on the other end. “Whatever,” Guzma scoffed. “Run home, kiddo.”

Hau continued training under a different instructor, a blonde woman who lived and breathed discipline named Lizette. She moved them to an active submarine base, discreetly built into a hillside. The only hint of its existence to outsiders was a heavy steel door. It was weird having to work around Navy staff, but Hau had to admit this was an unexpected upgrade. For the first three days, he and his Pokémon trained alone. On the fourth day, he found Guzma waiting for him. Susie didn’t come for a week. When she finally did, she admitted to having nearly quit for good. Hau didn’t blame her. Nobody, not even Looker, had expected the capture of a single Ultra Beast to be fraught with so much danger. Interpol was looking into the attack on the old department store. There were no additional sightings of Ultra Beasts for an entire month.

One morning, a reporter knocked on Hau’s door asking if he had seen the Champion leave the hospital. “She’s out?!” he yelled into the reporter’s face. “Hold that thought! I gotta go to the mall!”

He bought a basket of flowers and boxes of Moon’s favorite truffles. To his dismay, the reporter had followed him the entire way. He ducked off of Route 1, losing himself in the wild undergrowth. When he was certain he was no longer being followed, he went back to the winding side street that leads to Moon’s house. Balloons decorated the front porch. A cheerful yellow sign proclaimed “Welcome Home!” Hau grinned.

He bounced on his toes a little as he rang the doorbell. A moment later, Moon’s mother answered. “Hi, Mrs. Kumiko,” Hau said. “I brought these for Moon.”

Mrs. Kumiko took the basket. “Thank you, Hau.” She looked haggard as if she hadn’t slept.

“What’s wrong?” Hau asked.

Mrs. Kumiko’s eyes darted. “I don’t want any reporters finding out about this,” she whispered.

“You can count on me,” Hau said.

She pulled him aside towards one of the windows. “Look.”

Puzzled, Hau peered inside. Moon lay on the floor of her room in her pajamas. That in itself was odd. He noticed Arrow and Mrs. Kumiko’s Meowth huddled near her bed, trembling. Moon writhed, tearing at her hair and kicking her feet up into the air. “Bleghrmdddkkptagla!” she screamed.

The blush on Hau’s face drained to white. “Um, is she okay?”

Mrs. Kumiko sighed. “Dr. Kameha says she’s having a nervous breakdown. She passed the physical tests with flying colors, but she can’t speak. Sometimes, she seems to have no idea where or who she is. And the tantrums she had last night-” 

“That’s awful,” Hau said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

A tired smile spread across her face like a rainbow after a storm. “Bring more gifts. I could use some company when she’s alright and help when she has fits.” 

“You got it!” Hau said. “But… I gotta get to school now.” 

“I understand.”

With a wave, he was off. Of course, he went straight to the submarine base. To his surprise, Looker was there as well. He and Lizette spoke in hushed tones while Guzma and Susie practiced judo moves on each other. They stopped when Hau approached.

“Wanna get your butt kicked?” Susie asked.

“Nah, I’d rather do the butt-kicking,” Hau replied.

“In your dreams,” Susie took a fighting stance.

“All of you, please come over here,” Looker said.

Curious, the three and their Pokémon gathered around a computer. Lizette cleared her throat. “We’ve finished our investigation of the attack on the department store. It’s confirmed that the intruder was a Nihilego. It’s also confirmed that the call you received summoning you to Lookout Point without coming to base first came from Anabel.” She paused to let that sink in.  
“Finally, we’ve received Moon’s medical records. They reveal something… troubling.”

“The nervous breakdown?” Hau asked.

Guzma and Susie eyed Hau questioningly. Without missing a beat, Lizette said, “the fact that she has completely healed in a month is of greater concern. Medically, that shouldn’t be possible.”

“Hold on,” Looker interrupted. He turned to Hau. “You’ve seen her since the welcoming party?”

“Yeah,” Hau said. “Just through a window, though. Mrs. Kumiko didn’t want me to come inside.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” Looker’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?” Hau asked. 

“Spill the beans, old man,” Guzma said.

Ignoring him, Looker said, “I need all of you to confirm some facts. First, the Nihilego that attacked you on the cliff was about fifteen feet tall, correct? Second, there was a delay between your arrival at Lookout Point and the attack.”

“Yes and yes,” Hau said.

Guzma and Susie nodded. “So what?” Susie asked.

Lizette brought a file up onto the computer screen. “This is the Nihilego we sent back through the wormhole.”

Hau scanned the picture. It looked like their attacker. But… “Wait!” he exclaimed. “It’s the wrong size!” The computer listed its height as 5’ 11”.

Looker nodded. “It appears there were two Nihilego at Lookout Point.”

“Well, obviously,” Susie said. Guzma shushed her.

Hau felt his heart slow. Each thump echoed painfully in his ears. “What does this mean?” he asked. 

Looker’s face was grim. “I have an explanation, but you won’t like it.” He paused and the three trainers nodded for him to continue. “We know that Nihilego are poison-rock types. They have the ability to merge with other beings and control them. This allowed me to tie all these incidents together. For the sake of clarity, we’ll call the larger Nihilego N1 and the smaller one N2. Sometime before you four were attacked, N1 broke into headquarters. It took control of Anabel long enough to send the message and killed her. It used its acid to destroy our communications equipment. To ensure no one from Interpol would discover what happened in time to rescue you. N1 then rushed to Lookout Point and engaged your Pokemon in battle. Meanwhile, N2 waited at the bottom of the cliff for N1 and Lyndsey. After N1 successfully merged with Moon, it used the Beast Ball on N2 to complete the deception.”  
Throughout the explanation, the trainers grew paler and paler. Guzma swallowed. “That does make sense. It would explain why we didn’t see the second Nihilego. But why go to all that trouble to get Lyndsey?”

Looker paced. “A Nihilego merged with Aether president Lusamine and attempted to let more Ultra Beasts into our dimension. It’s possible that when Moon interfered, she made an enemy of an entire species.”

The trainers stood in stunned silence. Finally, Susie asked, “So… what do we do?”

“As long as the Ultra Beast can pretend to be Moon, everyone is in danger,” Lizette’s voice was steel. 

“Sounds like it’s not doing a good job so far,” Guzma observed.

“That might change,” Lizette said. “In fact, we’re fairly certain it will. Everything we know about Nihilego suggests they are master manipulators. Once it can pass itself off as a healthy Moon, it will be free to go where it wants. And use her influence as Champion.”

“Hau…” Looker met Hau’s eyes. “Can you bring Moon here? We have to be certain and this is the only place we can safely confront an Ultra Beast if we’re right.” 

Tears welled up. “O-okay,” Hau said. “But… what if you’re wrong? What if Moon just needs therapy?”

“If we’re wrong,” Lizette said smoothly. “We’ll look like fools and apologize.”

“I hope to Arceus that we are,” Looker said. “Trouble is, I think we’re right.”

Mrs. Kumiko squealed with joy when she opened the door. “Oh, Hau!” she said. “It’s a miracle! Moon can talk again!”

Hau felt a chill down his spine. “Er, that’s great! Can I see her?”

“Of course. Moon!” she called over her shoulder.

A moment later, Moon replaced her mother at the door, dressed in a crisp white smock. The faintest hint of a smile touched her lips. “Hello, Hau,” she pronounced each word carefully. “I’m feeling better now.”

“That’s awesome,” Hau hoped he didn’t sound too nervous. “Um, you wanna go hang out? Maybe have a Pokémon battle?”

The smile vanished. For a moment, she pinned Hau in place with a subzero stare. Hau’s torso stiffened in fear. 

“I’ll have to ask Mom.” She closed the door. 

Try as he might, Hau couldn’t relax enough to lower his shoulders. You’re blowing it! He scolded himself. Seconds crawled by as he waited. Come on! Come on! 

Finally, the door swung open again. “She says it’s okay,” Moon said. “But my Pokémon don’t seem to want to battle today.”

“Oh, really?” Hau squeaked.

“Don’t be gone long!” Mrs. Kumiko called.

With that, they started towards the beach. Hau found himself unable to look at her for long. Moon wore her usual pleasant smile, but it seemed almost waxen in its consistency. He got the distinct impression he was looking at a mask. 

When they reached the beach, Hau pointed towards the submarine base. “I hear they’re giving tours of the place. I’ve always wanted to see a real Navy base. Interested?”

The subzero stare was back. “Will this take long?”

Hau frowned. “Probably not. It doesn’t look very big.”

“Good. I don’t want Mom to worry.”

Nothing happened until they stepped through the base’s steel doors. The cold metal room was starkly empty. Suddenly, the Ultra Beast detectors placed around the base went off. Moon screamed and covered her ears.

“Hau!” Looker’s voice blared through a loudspeaker. “Get out of there!”

“Sorry!” With one last look at Moon, Hau sprinted forward. 

He barely got three steps before something fleshy and powerful coiled around his waist. He jerked his head around to see Moon’s arms morphed into translucent tentacles. All pretense at friendliness had gone. Her lips curled into a snarl. 

Lizette kicked the nearest door open. “Lucario! Use Metal Claw!” she yelled.

Her Lucario darted forward, slashing at the tentacles holding Hau. The Pokémon pivoted on his toes and snatched up the trainer. The room became a blur as Lucario’s Extremespeed closed the distance to safety. Lizette slammed the steel door shut just in time for something massive to collide with it. The impact made Hau’s teeth rattle.

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” he whimpered.

Another impact shook the door’s hinges. 

“Everyone, please get under this fume hood,” a Navy officer directed Hau and Lucario to where the others stood. “Our grass Pokémon are filling that room with Sleep Powder.”  
Hau took one last look at the door. A horrible roar sounded from behind. Tears welled up in his eyes. He prayed to all the guardian deities that it would hold.


End file.
